Loss
Prologue Once upon a time, in a world you don't even remember, there were five cats. Well, there were a lot more then that, but these are the five cats I'm talking about. Anyways, their Clan (which was the best) gave them good and happy lives where they could play and laugh and flirt with cute toms. Then everything changed. You see, one of these cats, a quiet she-cat named- well, a quiet she-cat, had terrible dreams. The other four all thought she was...well....a little crazy. But they believed in her, and soon, the Clans found out that the world was ending. Wow, that sounds really dramatic when you put it like that. So anyways, this she-cat had to lead her Clan to safety. But she didn't know how. fortunately, one of her other best friend's, a smart gray she-cat, had another dream. This one told her how to get to the Sun-Drown Place. Which is where they almost are now. They're still in the Twolegplace. So anyways, we- I mean they ''have no idea what's next. Their dream-guide told them a cat would help them at the Sun-drown Place. But so far, nothing yet. Oh yes, and the ending of the world has begun. So now, the entire Clan's are pinning their hopes on the two she-cats and their three friends. Which kind of was nice. If it had been for something else. Tempers have been running high, a few moments ago a ShadowClan tom attacked a WindClan tom. And almost everyone is sure we're going to die. But ''I haven't lost hope. Chapter 1 Bramblepaw was staring at Shadeheart with wide eyes. "Why would you do something like that?" Leopardpaw looked at her friend with reproving eyes, "Bramblepaw, I'm sure he doesn't want to-" "No, it's fine," said the tom gruffly, "I'm just sick of those WindClan mouse-brains. I'm sick of everyone! I just want to go home." Bramblepaw thought she heard his voice crack a little on the last word, but she wasn't sure. "Oh," she meows softly. "Now you ThunderClan cats," the tom went on, "You're easier to live with when you're not being so big-headed. And you have some pretty she-cats." He smiled at a passing Applefur who rolled her eyes. Bramblepaw's sympathy evaporated and she stood up, glowering at Shadeheart, "Gotta go." she padded away. Gotta go somewhere without big-headed stupid toms who just want... She trailed off as she came to where Ashpaw and Dustpaw were standing. Mosspaw was standing close by, watching with an amused expression. Bramblepaw padded over. "Hey." "Hey." Mosspaw scratched deep scars into the dirt, "Why do we have to stop? Look at the sky!" Bramblepaw stared up obligingly. The sky was a dark angry black even though it should've been sunrise. Ever since that first eruption, it had been eerily quiet. But Bramblepaw knew terrible things were coming. That had been a warning attack. What was coming would kill them. "Yeah, but the medicine cats had to treat Shadeheart and Runningfoot. And RiverClan had to bury Rockfur." Mosspaw turned away but Bramblepaw saw the turmoil in her eyes. And the tears. "It's a good idea that Ashpaw had," she said softly, flicking her tail to the clearing. Bramblepaw looked. She hadn't noticed before, but Ashpaw was padding around, looking at crouched kits while Dustpaw scurried along beside him. "Good job," Ashpaw meowed to one kit who smiled happily. "Tail down," he said to another who nodded with big eyes." Bramblepaw grinned, waved her tail in farewell to Mosspaw and went to see Ashpaw. "Whatcha doin'?" "Training these kits," Ashpaw's eyes had the focused serious look he sometimes got. Bramblepaw hated that look, but only because it was usually preceded or followed by intense sadness on his part. "Why?" she asked lightly, "Has ShadowClan been messing with ThunderClan again?" "No," he meowed, his whiskers twitching slightly, "But the world's ending. They need to know how to hunt in case their parents..." Bramblepaw shrunk back a little, knowing what he was going to say. Die. "In case something happens?" she finished gently. He nodded gratefully, but there was till tension. Die Chapter 2 "We need to get moving again," Smokestar meowed softly. Mosspaw nodded, and Bramblepaw noted how relieved her friend looked. The Clans slowly gathered and began wandering in the same direction they'd been going for days. Bramblepaw couldn't even see the end of the Twolegplace even though they'd been wandering for a few days. She sighed, scraping at the ground in annoyance. Why don't I get to do anything exciting? I would ''die ''for a chance to be special. Like Mosspaw and Leopardpaw. She snuck a glance at her friends. They could've been the same cat- the fierce look, determined stance, and slightly haunted look in their eyes. Only their fur and eyes- one pair flashing amber, the other pale blue- set them apart. Bramblepaw felt gangly and slouchy next to them. She stood up straighter and tried to walk with the same sense of purpose. "Why are you walking like that?" Ashpaw asked, coming up beside her, "You look like you have serious gas." Bramblepaw immediately shrunk back and snorted, "You would know." "Ouch," "Sorry," she grinned apologetically. "S'ok. I deserved i-" Ashpaw stopped mid-sentence and glanced towards Dustpaw. Bramblepaw suddenly realized the brown apprentice was yowling. And staring up at the sky. Uh-oh. She glanced up and yelped, "Fire!" She started to leap forward then stopped, Her paw ached and she cringed. Why could she have a stupid normal paw like everyone else? "Dumb bird," she muttered, then gritted her teeth and ran forward, following Ashpaw and Dustpaw. "Get out of the way!" Ashpaw yowled, shoving a few elders towards safety. Dustpaw was leading cats more gently to Twoleg dens where they cowered, "Fire!!" "Mosspaw!" Bramblepaw shrieked from her place under a Twoleg den. She streaked away and grabbed her friend, a moment or so before a piece of fire would've hit her. Mosspaw was limp and Bramblepaw dragged her back to the hiding spot where she was joined by Dustpaw, Ashpaw, and Leopardpaw. "Fire shouldn't rain from the sky," Mosspaw whispered, eyes wide. "How could StarClan do this to us?" Bramblepaw curled her tail around her friend. Mosspaw usually was so confident, but once in a while she hit the rocks. She believed in StarClan more then any of them and sometimes that came back to bite her in the tail. "It's okay, it's okay." "It's not," Mosspaw whispered, "It's not." Chapter 3 Three cats. That was the death count. Bramblepaw sat, shocked, as Lilyblossom, Galekit, and Volefur were carried by a few solemn elders and several grim looking warriors. One WindClan kit and two RiverClan warriors. She bowed her head. ThunderClan was lucky. Willowstar looked up, her eyes hollow, "We're ready." The cats almost silently got up and, after looking cautiously around, padded back outside. Bramblepaw felt a stab of sympathy as one tom broke away from RiverClan and pelted back to Lilyblossom's grave. He hung there for a moment, head bowed, before he padded back to Willowstar who wrapped her tail around him. Mosspaw was right, why did this happen? StarClan please send us a sign. '' In legends, as soon as you lay down and your eyes shut, you were supposed to get to StarClan. Bramblepaw always wished she could've been one of those cats who had exciting things happen to them and prophetic dreams all over the place. She would've given anything to trade spots with Mosspaw or Leopardpaw. Of course, when she confided that to them, they were horrified and told her no crazy dream was worth this. Whatever. So, she didn't expect to have any dreams as she lay down then. Maybe some nightmares about the dead cats. She shivered. If the world was ending, why was it so cold? She lost track of it as she drifted into dreams... A pair of amber eyes stared out at her from the gloom. ''Spottedpaw had amber eyes... Bramblepaw had no idea why she thought that. So did Leopardpaw. So did about half the cats in the Clans. And Spottedpaw was dead, anyways. "You wished for a chance," the voice hissed- it was Spottedpaw- "And we are giving it to you." "What chance? I never-" suddenly it clicked. Spottedpaw, a chance. A dead cat talking to her in dreams. "Oh." Spottedpaw purred. Had her voice always sounded so....wise? Bramblepaw shook her head, "So what do you want me to do?" she asked hopefully. "Nothing yet," Bramblepaw deflated a little. "But your time will come." "It will?" "Yes," Spottedpaw's eyes melted into black, "But beware- it may not be the part you wanted to play." Chapter 4 Bramblepaw woke with a start with made her feel sick. She sat on her bed, blinking her eyes blearily until she could look around without being blinded by the weak sunlight. A few cats were up and they were quickly hunting, gathering dead mice and bringing them back for the queens and elders who were slowly waking, the elders complaining. "Nice catch," she told one sullen looking ShadowClan apprentice. "Didn't have to catch it," he meowed around his prey. He continued and Bramblepaw stood, rooted to the spot. Were the warriors just going around and picking up dead things around Twoleg place??? Bramblepaw padded over to the food pile on shaky legs and sniffed it. No carrion. Good. Are we the only things left alive? Bramblepaw shivered, and then flinched, remembering her dream. What was Spottedpaw trying to tell her? Not the part you wanted. She shivered again. She was slightly puzzled, because the thought hadn't made her feel shivery and she was still shivering and she didn't appear to be stopping. "The ground is shaking!" someone yowled. All of the cats awoke, most screeching and panicking. Bramblepaw pushed through the crowds. "Ashpaw! Leoaprdpaw! Mosspaw! Dustpaw! Applefur!" she screamed, ignoring the other calls. She found a cowering Dustpaw standing in the middle of the chaos and yanked him along as she sped about, searching for the others. "Bramblepaw, over here!" She turned towards Applefur's voice, and finally found her. With relief, she saw that her other friends were crouched there too, their fur dusty and eyes wild, but safe. They were huddling under a Twoleg den, waiting for it to end. Bramblepaw and Dustpaw raced over only to hear.. Crack. Crack. Creeeeak. "The den's not stable!" she shrieked. Mosspaw and Leoaprdpaw were already racing out with Applefur and Ashpaw close behind. The building began to topple, heavy stones raining down from it like water in a storm. "Watch out!" Ashpaw yowled. Cats ran, screaming. But Bramblepaw could hear other telltale creaking. "We need to get out!" she cried, "The whole place is falling!" Hardly any cats heard her and the ones who did couldn't move very fast. She watched in horror as den after den toppled. She yowled as she saw an elderly ShadowClan cat go under a toppling building, trying to get under it before it crumbled...but never making it to the other side. She leaped under falling den after den with her friends, barely hoping that they would make it out alive. By the time the sun was at it's mid-way point, the tremors had stopped and the remaining cats had reached a part of the Twolegplace that wasn't falling around them. Smmokestar took the lead, the other leaders following him, "Alright, let's regroup and we'll send a patrol back in there to find the survivors and-" "No," Willowstar spoke quietly at first, then gradually growing louder, "Smokestar, I have seen terrible horrors today and nothing, not StarClan, not anyone ''can make me go back in there. Because you know what we'll find? Bodies and bodies of warriors who are dead now. There will be no survivors." "Willowstar..." began Redstar worriedly. But the gray she-cat kept talking, her eyes blazing. "How do you expect me to go back in there, and see the bodies of all the cats I loved and looked after. I wasn't able to save them. I can't...I just can't...." her voice broke down into choked sobs and she glared at Smokestar one last time, "Can you honestly say you're ready to face the death of many of your Clanmates, Smokestar? Can you say you'd be brave enough to go back into that place?" Bramblepaw waited for her leader's answer, only to find after a few silent moments that there was none. Chapter 5 The Clans had figured out that 5 cats were definitely dead and at least 20 more were missing. That was about a third of the Clans. It was even worse then when the three cats had died. Then there were tears and wails. Now there was just an eerie silence that seemed to spread from the elders to the grim warriors to the kits, who were unnaturally quiet. There were whispered conversations between the cats as the leaders met over on a hill, discussing whether or not to go search. Bramblepaw huddled with her friends, between Leopardpaw and Mosspaw. She wanted to bury her face in her paws, but even when she closed her eyes, the faces of the cats who hadn't come back seemed to be staring at her. ''Why didn't Spottedpaw tell me...? Sometime in the night, she must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes, she was standing in a starry forest. She knew the thing to do probably would've been to sit and wait, but she was so upset she didn't care. And she was curious to see StarClan. She stalked through the glittering forests, her mood far to dark to be in this glimmering place. She looked around, but it seemed to be deserted. She felt her anger slipping away until she was just lonely as well as lost. She sat down and buried her face in her paws, letting her tears run free. All those cats... "Bramblepaw!" She jerked her head up to see Spottedpaw running towards her, followed by a muscular ginger tom with green eyes. "Hey," Bramblepaw said, trying to hide her tears. She wasn't very good at it though, "Who's your friend?" "Long story," Spottedpaw said, grinning. Bramblepaw noted that it didn't quite reach her eyes which were dark with worry and...something else. Annoyance? Sorrow? "Um...okay..." Bramblepaw said, looking at the tom with interest. Who was he? He looked at her and she found herself stiffening at his look. Why did he look so.....arrogant and irked? She stifled a giggle as she thought: He's either ShadowClan or has a mouse up his butt. "Can you follow us?" Spottedpaw said tensely, "This is gonna take a while." Bramblepaw nodded and followed the two cats, deeper into the sparkling forest. Chapter 6 "So who are you?" Bramblepaw burst out once they had sat down in an area surrounded by trees. She could barely see the stars through leafy branches that swayed in a wind that didn't seem to be there. The tom rolled his eyes, "What do they teach kits these days?" "I'm not a kit!" Bramblepaw meowed, offended. Oh yeah, he's definitely ShadowClan, she thought darkly. He smirked, "At my age, you're all kits." "You pompous-" "Guys, calm down!" Spottedpaw said desperately. She glanced nervously at the tom who looked amused at Bramblepaw's outburst, "Bramblepaw, this is-" "No, no." the tom grinned, "Don't tell her yet. I want to see the shock on her face when she grovels for forgiveness." "Um...okay." Spottedpaw meowed uncomfortably. "Well, Bramblepaw, as I told you, you have a job to do. Probably one of the biggest job in keeping the Clans alive." "Yeah," Bramblepaw leaned forward eagerly. "Well, first I need to explain a little. Once you get to the Sun-Drown Place, there will be a huge place, full of salty water." "Salty water?" Bramblepaw asked, wrinkling her nose. "Will you let me finish?" Spottedpaw meowed, uncharacteristically stressed, "Anyways, it's called an ocean. The Last Place is on the other side of the ocean. And it's too far to swim. It's thousand and thousand of the lake territories wide. Twoleg monsters can take many sunrises to get across it." Bramblepaw gulped, "Then how are we going to do it?" Spottedpaw sighed, "That's where you and him-" she flicked her tail at the tom, "Come in. StarClan can....take you across the ocean. But it would take a huge power, a force of nature to do that. There are only a few cats in StarClan powerful enough to do such a thing. But it takes a sacrifice." "The cat would be wiped out of existence forever," the tom meowed. His green eyes glinted in the few rays of light, "The cat would no longer exist in StarClan, the would be at rest finally forever. No more adventures, no more messing with dreams. Nothing." Bramblepaw shivered. What did she have to do with this? Spottedpaw nodded, "So, we needed a cat to volunteer to do this. As you can guess, not many were eager to do so, and there weren't that many cats to choose from in the beginning..." "Hey, I didn't volunteer," the tom meowed in annoyance, "River and Wind said since the chosen cats were all ThunderClan it was my ''job. I'll be the first Ancient to go, do you know how much Shadow will love that? She'll never let anyone forget it. He rolled his eyes. "Even though she was the first to die in the real world," he finished smugly. "Wait..." Bramblepaw meowed. "You're..." her eyes widened. "Yes," he meowed smugly. "You guessed right. I'm Thunder." Chapter 7 "No way." Bramblepaw meowed, "Thunderstar died a ''long ''time ago. He would've been...what is it....erased by now!" "Apparently not," Thunderstar meowed. He was grinning and clearly enjoying this. "Well, anyways," Bramblepaw went on, slightly flustered, "He wouldn't be such a mouse-brained smug jerk! I thought that was ShadowClan's job!" Thunderstar looked taken aback for a moment, then he laughed suddenly. "I like her," he said to Spottedpaw, "You chose well." Spottedpaw looked pleadingly at Bramblepaw, "Look....this is going to be hard to hear, but you need to listen." "Fine." grumbled Bramblepaw. "Thunderstar has....um...been kind enough to help us keep the Clans going. He's going to use his power to get you over the ocean. And, unfortunately, be erased." Thunderstar grumbled a little, but remained mostly silent. "But..." Spottedpaw glared at him, "He says he requires a....a test of bravery of sorts." "What?" Bramblepaw meowed, confused. "You Clans have gotten weak as seasons past." Thunderstar meowed, pacing around the clearing, "When was the last time you challenged someone over border? When was the last time a leader died heroically in battle?" "You think those are good things?!" Bramblepaw meowed in horror. "Those things show that a warrior has fire in his belly!" Thunderstar growled, "Look at the Clans now, ThunderClan's half kittypet, WindClan's just ''giving ''territory away, RiverClan hunts in the Horseplace when it gets cold, and even ShadowClan have lost that crazy-mad urge to take over the forest! I need to know the Clans I'm giving up my existence aren't the mouse-hearts I've been watching over the few seasons!" Bramblepaw blinked, almost forgetting to be outraged, "So what do you want me to do?" ''It may not be the part you wanted...''Spottedpaw's words rang in her ears. "I need a warriors to stay behind. One warriors life for many. One who will stay and die, joining StarClan as their Clanmates go to the Last Place. I need one warrior to restore my faith in the Clans." Thunderstar meowed. Bramblepaw sat there for a moment, unable to move while her mind processed what Thunderstar had just said. ''Not the part you wanted.... It can't be...''she thought. But it was. Spottedpaw was so nervous and stressed. She must have been begging Thunderstar to reconsider. That smug look on Thunderstar's face...he wanted Bramblepaw to beg him to change his mind, to pick any other cat. And she had half a mind to do that. He meant her. Thunderstar wanted her to stay behind and die while her Clan moved on to the Last Place. Chapter 8 "Bramblepaw!" Bramblepaw opened her eyes and blinked, finding herself staring into Ashpaw's stormy blue ones. ''Not a bad way to wake up... "You were screeching and clawing at your nest," he meowed worriedly. "Is everything okay?" Then she remembered, letting out a shuddering gasp. There wasn't enough air. Then she began coughing. Why was it so smoky? "I'll go get Poppyleaf." Ashpaw meowed, ducking out. "And Leopardpaw!" Bramblepaw clawed hoarsely after him. She curled back up in her nest. I'm going to die. What was she going to do? She sighed. She wanted to make it to the Last Place and play with her friends in the new territory, maybe becoming honored warriors for their part in helping save the Clans. Poppyleaf came in, "Bramblepaw? Are you okay?" Leopardpaw and Ashpaw came in behind her looking worried. "Fine...just a nightmare.." Bramblepaw muttered, not meeting Poppyleaf's eyes. If only she could lie like Ashpaw or Mosspaw who could look you in the eye and tell you that you were a rabbit and you'd believe it. "Good," Poppyleaf meowed, "With the fires last night and all this dreadful smoke I'm running low on medicine and there isn't much around." "Fires?" Bramblepaw's eyes widen, "Why didn't you wake me up?" "Um.." Ashpaw shared an awkward look with Leopardpaw, "We did. But nothing we did....anyways, there wasn't much time. Mosspaw and I carried you out." "Oh," Bramblepaw ducked her head, her fur feeling warm, "Thanks." He grinned, "You just owe me a lifetime of servitude now. How about getting me a mouse?" "Shut up!" Bramblepaw laughed, then realized she was crying slightly. She was going to miss this. She tried to stop, but she could already feel the tears cascading down her cheeks. "Bramblepaw?" Ashpaw's eyes widened, "Oh StarClan. I didn't mean it! I swear! You don't have to get me a mouse!" A laugh pushed it's way out of Bramblepaw, but it didn't stop the tears. Leopardpaw pressed against her friend, "Oh Bramblepaw, it's okay. Soon we'll all be in the Last Place. We can play and you and Mosspaw can go back to beating up Ashpaw every other day-" "Hey!" Ashpaw meowed. He settled down on Bramblepaw's other side. It went on like that, Leopardpaw telling Braqmblepaw about the great life they would have in the Last Place and Ashpaw interrupting with exclamations. If I had a scrap of decency, I would tell them now. ''Bramblepaw thought. But she didn't. Chapter 9 "Wow," Bramblepaw meowed, in spite of her worries. "Wow indeed," Applefur said, smiling slightly. The Sun Drown Place was beautiful, for even though it's dark name implied bad things, Bramblepaw saw how the sun was reflected in the glistening water. Two suns, in sky and sea. Her heart ached with the beauty and she sighed inwardly. ''At least I'll die somewhere beautiful. Even the land that sank into the water was beautiful. It was a light light brown, almost white. It was like dirt, but thinner and with tinier grains. Bramblepaw kept having to shake it our of her pelt and paws, but it was worth it. "Let's camp here tonight," Mosspaw meowed uncertainly. Smokestar nodded, "This place appears to be safe from the fires so far. It may not be comfy but it'll do for night." "I hope StarClan visits me in my dreams," Mosspaw whispered to Leopardpaw. Bramblepaw felt a pang as she listened to her friend, "They haven't told me where to go after this." Bramblepaw lay down next to Mosspaw and Bramblepaw, the three of them forming a kind of triangle. Bramblepaw closed her eyes and allowed sleep to crash over her. "Where am I?" Bramblepaw looked around. It was some kind of...cave. The tide washed in and out in a rythematic fashion and Bramblepaw felt calm. "Welcome," a deep female voice meowed. It sounded strange. Cat, but....not cat. Bramblepaw turned and yelped. "Badger!" she hissed. The badger sat, looking amused, "No need to fear little warrior," it said in a meow. Bramblepaw cringed. What had she eaten to bring on this dream? This was crazy! "You are lost on a path that many have failed on before you," the she-badger rumbled, "I am here to give you hope." "Thanks..." Bramblepaw meowed uncertainly. But as the words left her mouth, she was gone. She looked around at her new surroundings. It was StarClan but....not. Less sparkly. "I'm sorry," a blue-gray she cat was telling her, "I know you expected many more moons with your Clanmates before coming to join us." There was a brief silence, then the cat resumed, her face looking truly sad, "You have served your Clan more faithfully then some cats manage in a long life. It must seem very unfair that you have to leave them now," You think? Bramblepaw thought bitterly. But what she said, in a voice that wasn't quite her own, was, "Bluestar, I know this isn't your fault. There's no need to apologize." "If we could change your fate we would," This was a lean black tomcat. "But remember, not even StarClan can turn back the paws of destiny, no matter how much we want to." Bluestar said regretfully. "Know that the strength of StarClan will be with you. We will not leave you to face this alone." Bramblepaw was very confused. How was she doing this? Where was she? "StarClan has always been with me," she said. "We are with you always," Bluestar meowed again. The scene melted away and she was back in her own dream. "What was that?" she gasped. The badger nodded, "A scene from heroes pasts, long ago. What you witnessed was a young cat being told she was going to die. She took it with courage and she did die. She saved a queen and the queens kits. She was a hero." "Oh," Bramblepaw murmured. "Who was she?" The badger looked away, "She had a broken paw too." Bramblepaw's paw ached slightly, "I see," she meowed quietly. Suddenly everything seemed clear, "Thank you...what's your name?" The badger barked a laugh, "I'll tell you sometime. Farewell brave Warrior." Bramblepaw dipped her head, and closed her eyes, reopening them in the real world. Chapter 10 By morning, Bramblepaw could already see the flames approaching the Sun Drown Place. They weren't moving quickly, but quickly enough that Bramblepaw's eyes widened a little. She padded over to where Mosspaw, Leopardpaw, and the leaders were sitting. "-I haven't had any dreams." Mosspaw said miserably. "And you're sure we have to come this way...?" Redstar asked. Mosspaw nodded frantically. Smokestar spotted Bramblepaw, "I know they're your friends, but this is really a special meeting..." "It's me." Bramblepaw meowed softly. "What? Leopardpaw meowed, blinking in surprise. I'm so sorry, Bramblepaw thought, wanting to cry as she told them everything. The pain on the Smokestar's face was awful, but the sheer agony on Mosspaw and Leopardpaw's faces overpowered her. "That's not fair." Leopardpaw meowed when she had finished, "They can't do that. You're only an apprentice, you can't do it I won't-" "How could they do that to us?" Mosspaw was whispering at the same time, "I can't believe it. I HATE YOU!" she yowled at the sky. "What's going on?" Ashpaw had just arrived. Bramblepaw couldn't tell him. He was her first friend and her first crush and she couldn't do it. She padded to the end of the ocean and stared out over the waves. Mosspaw and Leopardpaw came and stood beside her, and eventually, Ashpaw and Dustpaw. The five cats who had started the journey would become the four cats who ended it. The next few moments were a tangle of good byes and tears and some silence. Finally, Bramblepaw saw Smokestar gesturing to her. She padded over to him, trying to stifle the tears. "Do you know what we're supposed to do?" Smokestar asked. "Gather everyone and go to the end of the land." Bramblepaw meowed, having no idea where these instructions were coming from. "Make sure the waves lap over your paws." Smokestar nodded and gathered everyone to him. Finally, everyone was in the water but Bramblepaw, Mosspaw, Leopardpaw, Dustpaw, Ashpaw, and Applefur. "My little warrior," Applefur meowed, licking the top of Bramblepaw's head. Bramblepaw felt new tears coming. Applefur padded away, to join the Warriors in the sea. "You guys have to go." she told her friends. They all pressed together for one last time. "I love you guys," Bramblepaw meowed softly. Her tears leaked onto Mosspaw's pelt and she could feel Leopardpaw's tears on her own. Finally, she pulled away, padding further up the beach. "Go." She heard her friends, hesitate for a moment, then pad away. Go. She stood where the thin, weedy grass changed into sand and took a deep breath. Flames flickered behind her and ocean shimmered in front. The Warriors stood in a line, and she wished she was down there, waiting for StarClan.... But this was her part. Not the part you wanted, the words echoed in her head. I always said I would kill to be like Leoaprdpaw or Mosspaw, ''Bramblepaw thought savagely. "I offer myself up to you, Thunderstar." she meowed, "I give my life as a sign that your faith in the Warriors should never waiver." she looked down at her friends, tears threatening to spill over again. "We are strong. And we always will be." There was a rumble of thunder and Bramblepaw noticed that the Warriors in the ocean were fading. There were yelps and shrieks from kits, but everyone stayed where they were. Bramblepaw locked her eyes on her friends one last time and watched as they faded away, leaving her alone. ''"You are never alone," Bramblepaw turned and saw the strange trio. Spottedpaw and a cindery gray she-cat with blue eyes walked on either side of the badger from her dreams. And behind them, the ranks of StarClan slowly spilled out into the fire, walking through it to stand by her in her final moments. She sat, where water and land met and sky reached down to touch the water. Where fire bordered the vast ocean and would eventually die, fading into embers. She took a deep breath of fresh air, then ran down to the beach, her tail flying out behind her, the Warriors of StarClan following her. As she splashed in the water she looked in the sky and blinked. Let them be safe. ''she wished on a fading morning star. ''Keep them safe for as long as you can. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics